In this video, Nick Kemp explores the powerful connection between growth, hardship, and the concept of ikigai. Have you ever found yourself stepping out of your comfort zone or embracing acceptance during tough times? Discover how these elements contribute to personal development and stability in your life.
Self-improvement needed to tackle the crisis
Nick: There's all these elements of growth, maybe sometimes stepping out your comfort zone, acceptance, but ikigai might al least stabilize or help you balance things and keep you grounded. I found a really interesting citation. And you mentioned Professor Havi Carel. Is that correct?
Jamila: Yeah, Havi Carel.
Nick: I'd like to reference the citation you mentioned in your paper. So, Professor Carel states that when people underestimate their ability to cope with hardship, most often this is the very moment that they find a hidden inner strength, which allows them to attain the personal development needed to overcome the crisis.
This is actually something Mieko Kamiya also wrote that one can feel ikigai most intensely when overcoming hardship. I'm not saying all hardship, or crises are great and what we want, because sometimes bad things happen, and some people never get over them, or they're very hard to get over.
But I think sometimes we can interpret overcoming some crisis or hardship in a positive light, that it reveals this deeper sense of self and gives us the opportunity to grow. The memory of the experience might eventually become an ikigai source.